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(eBook PDF) Human Biology: Concepts

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Contents vii

The degree of nerve activation influences force 131 7.3 Human blood types 150
Slow-twitch versus fast-twitch fibers: endurance versus ABO blood typing is based on A and B antigens 150
strength 132
Rh blood typing is based on Rh factor 151
Exercise training improves muscle mass, strength, and
Blood typing and cross-matching ensure blood
endurance 133
compatibility 152
MJ’s BlogInFocus 134
New tests make transfused blood safer 153

6.4 Cardiac and smooth muscles have special 7.4 Blood substitutes 153
features 134
Health & Wellness Donating Blood 154
How cardiac and smooth muscles are activated 134
Arrangement of myosin and actin filaments 135
Speed and sustainability of contraction 135
7.5 Blood disorders 154
Mononucleosis: contagious viral infection
of lymphocytes 154
6.5 Diseases and disorders of the muscular Blood poisoning: bacterial infection of blood 155
system 136
Anemia: reduction in blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity 155
Muscular dystrophy 136
Leukemia: uncontrolled production of white
Tetanus 136 blood cells 155
Muscle cramps 136 Multiple myeloma: uncontrolled production
Pulled muscles 136 of plasma cells 156
Fasciitis 136 Thrombocytopenia: reduction in platelet number 156
MJ’s BlogInFocus 138 MJ’s BlogInFocus 158

7 Blood 139 8 Heart and Blood Vessels 159


Current Issue Should You Bank Your Baby’s Current Issue How Should Comparative Effec-
Cord Blood? 140 tiveness Research Be Used? 160

7.1 The composition and functions of blood 142 8.1 Blood vessels transport blood 161
Arteries transport blood away from the heart 162
Plasma consists of water and dissolved solutes 142
Arterioles and precapillary sphincters regulate
Red blood cells transport oxygen and carbon
blood flow 163
dioxide 143
Capillaries: where blood exchanges substances
Hematocrit and hemoglobin reflect oxygen-carrying
with tissues 164
capacity 144
The lymphatic system helps maintain blood volume 165
All blood cells and platelets originate
from stem cells 145 Veins return blood to the heart 165
RBCs have a short life span 145
RBC production is regulated by a hormone 146 8.2 The heart pumps blood through the vessels 166
White blood cells defend the body 146 The heart is mostly muscle 166
Platelets are essential for blood clotting 148 The heart has four chambers and four valves 167
The pattern of blood flow through the cardiovascular
system 168
7.2 Hemostasis: stopping blood loss 148
Arteries and veins of the human body 169
Vascular spasms constrict blood vessels to reduce blood
flow 148 MJ’s BlogInFocus 170
Platelets stick together to seal a ruptured vessel 149 The cardiac cycle: the heart contracts and relaxes 170
MJ’s BlogInFocus 149 Heart sounds reflect closing heart valves 172
A blood clot forms around the platelet plug 149 The cardiac conduction system coordinates contraction 172
MJ’s BlogInFocus 149 Electrocardiogram records the heart’s electrical activity 173
MJ’s BlogInFocus 174
viii Contents

8.3 Blood exerts pressure against vessel walls 174 9.3 Keeping pathogens out: the first line
Measuring blood pressure 174 of defense 195
Hypertension: high blood pressure can be Skin: an effective deterrent 195
dangerous 175 Impeding pathogen entry in areas not covered by skin 195
Health & Wellness Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis 176
Hypotension: when blood pressure is too low 177 9.4 Nonspecific defenses: the second line
of defense 196
8.4 How the cardiovascular system is regulated 177 The complement system assists other defense
Baroreceptors maintain arterial blood pressure 178 mechanisms 196

Local requirements dictate local blood flows 178 Phagocytes engulf foreign cells 197

Exercise: increased blood flow and cardiac Inflammation: redness, warmth, swelling, and pain 198
output 179 Natural killer cells target tumors and virus-infected
cells 199
Interferons interfere with viral reproduction 199
8.5 Cardiovascular disorders: a major health issue 179
Fever raises body temperature 199
Angina: chest pain warns of impaired blood flow 180
Heart attack: permanent damage to heart tissue 180
Heart failure: the heart becomes less efficient 181 9.5 Specific defense mechanisms: the third line
of defense 199
Embolism: blockage of a blood vessel 181
The immune system targets antigens 200
Stroke: damage to blood vessels in the brain 181
Lymphocytes are central to specific defenses 200
B cells: antibody-mediated immunity 200
8.6 Replacing a failing heart 182
The five classes of antibodies 202
MJ’s BlogInFocus 183
An antibody’s structure enables it to bind to a specific
antigen 202
8.7 Reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease 183 T cells: cell-mediated immunity 202
MJ’s BlogInFocus 186
9.6 Immune memory creates immunity 205
Health & Wellness The Case for Breast Milk 206
9 The Immune System and Mechanisms MJ’s BlogInFocus 206
of Defense 187
Current Issue An Outbreak of Ebola 188 9.7 Medical assistance in the war against
pathogens 207
Active immunization: an effective weapon against
pathogens 207
Passive immunization can help against existing or
anticipated infections 207
9.1 Pathogens cause disease 190
Monoclonal antibodies: laboratory-created
Bacteria: single-celled living organisms 190 for commercial use 207
Viruses: tiny infectious agents 191 Antibiotics combat bacteria 209
Prions: infectious proteins 191 MJ’s BlogInFocus 209
Transmissibility, mode of transmission, and virulence
determine health risk 192
9.8 Tissue rejection: a medical challenge 209

9.2 The lymphatic system defends the body 192


9.9 Inappropriate immune system activity causes
Lymphatic vessels transport lymph 192 health problems 209
Lymph nodes cleanse the lymph 192 Allergies: a hypersensitive immune system 210
The spleen cleanses blood 194 Autoimmune disorders: defective recognition of self 211
Thymus gland hormones cause T lymphocytes
to mature 194
Tonsils protect the throat 194
Contents ix

9.10 Immune deficiency: the special case of AIDS 212 10.6 Disorders of the respiratory system 235
HIV targets helper T cells of the immune system 212 Reduced air flow or gas exchange impedes respiratory
HIV is transmitted in body fluids 213 function 235

AIDS develops slowly 213 Microorganisms can cause respiratory disorders 236

The AIDS epidemic: a global health issue 214 Health & Wellness Carbon Monoxide: An Invisible,
Risky behaviors increase your chances of getting AIDS 214 Odorless Killer 237
Lung cancer is caused by proliferation of abnormal
Making sex safer 214
cells 238
MJ’s BlogInFocus 215
MJ’s BlogInFocus 238
New treatments offer hope 215
Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma 238
MJ’s BlogInFocus 218
Pneumothorax and atelectasis: a failure of gas
exchange 238
Congestive heart failure impairs lung function 238
10 The Respiratory System: Exchange MJ’s BlogInFocus 242
of Gases 219
Current Issue The Fight over Regulation of
E-Cigarettes 220 11 The Nervous System: Integration and
Control 243
Current Issue Head Trauma in Young
Athletes 244

10.1 Respiration takes place throughout the body 221

10.2 The respiratory system consists of upper and lower


11.1 The nervous system has two principal parts 245
respiratory tracts 222
MJ’s BlogInFocus 246
The upper respiratory tract filters, warms,
and humidifies air 223
The lower respiratory tract exchanges gases 223 11.2 Neurons are the communication cells of the
MJ’s BlogInFocus 226 nervous system 246

10.3 The process of breathing involves a pressure 11.3 Neurons initiate action potentials 247
gradient 228 Sodium-potassium pump maintains resting potential 248
Inspiration brings in air, expiration expels it 228 Graded potentials can initiate an action potential 248
Lung volumes and vital capacity measure lung Action potentials are all-or-none and
function 229 self-propagating 250

10.4 Gas exchange and transport occur passively 230 11.4 Neuroglial cells support and protect neurons 251
Gases diffuse according to their partial pressures 230
MJ’s BlogInFocus 230
11.5 Information is transferred from a neuron to its
External respiration: the exchange of gases between air
target 252
and blood 230
Neurotransmitter is released 252
Internal respiration: the exchange of gases with tissue
fluids 232 Neurotransmitters exert excitatory or inhibitory effects 253
Hemoglobin transports most oxygen molecules 232 Postsynaptic neurons integrate and process
information 254
Most CO2 is transported in plasma as bicarbonate 233

10.5 The nervous system regulates breathing 233 11.6 The PNS relays information between tissues
and the CNS 254
A respiratory center establishes rhythm
of breathing 234 Nerves carry signals to and from the CNS 254
Chemical receptors monitor CO2, H+, and O2 levels 235 Sensory neurons provide information to the CNS 255
We can exert some conscious control 235 The somatic division controls skeletal muscles 255
x Contents

The autonomic division controls automatic body Mechanoreceptors indicate limb position, muscle length,
functions 256 and tension 279
The sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions oppose Thermoreceptors detect temperature 280
each other 256 Pain receptors signal discomfort 280

11.7 The brain and spinal cord constitute the CNS 259 12.3 Taste and smell depend on chemoreceptors 281
Bone, meninges, and the blood-brain barrier protect the Taste: chemoreceptors bind with dissolved
CNS 259 substances 281
The spinal cord relays information 260 MJ’s BlogInFocus 282
Smell: chemoreceptors bind with odorants 282
11.8 The brain processes and acts on information 261
The hindbrain: movement and automatic functions 261 12.4 Hearing: mechanoreceptors detect sound waves 283
The midbrain: vision, hearing, and sleep/ The outer ear channels sound waves 284
wakefulness 262
The middle ear amplifies sound 284
The forebrain: emotions and conscious thought 262
The inner ear sorts and converts sounds 285

11.9 Memory involves storing and retrieving


information 265 12.5 The inner ear plays an essential role in balance 286
Sensing rotational movement 286
Sensing head position and acceleration 287
11.10 Psychoactive drugs affect higher brain
functions 265
12.6 Vision: detecting and interpreting visual stimuli 288
11.11 Disorders of the nervous system 266 Structure of the eye 288

Trauma 266 Regulating the amount of light and focusing the


image 289
Infections 267
Eyeball shape affects focus 290
Brain tumors: abnormal growths 267
Light is converted into action potentials 291
MJ’s BlogInFocus 267
Rods and cones respond to light 291
Health & Wellness Repairing Spinal Cord Injuries 268
Health & Wellness LASIK to Correct Vision Problems 292
Disorders of neural and synaptic transmission 268
Rods provide vision in dim light 292
MJ’s BlogInFocus 273
Cones provide color vision and accurate images 292
Visual receptors adapt 293

12 Sensory Mechanisms 274 MJ’s BlogInFocus 293

Current Issue DWD: Driving While


Distracted 275 12.7 Disorders of sensory mechanisms 293
MJ’s BlogInFocus 297

12.1 Receptors receive and convert stimuli 276 13 The Endocrine System 298
Receptors are classified according to stimulus 276 Current Issue Endocrine Disruptors in the
The CNS interprets nerve impulses based on origin and Environment 299
frequency 277
Some receptors adapt to continuing stimuli 277
MJ’s BlogInFocus 278
Somatic sensations and special senses provide sensory
information 278 13.1 The endocrine system produces hormones 300
MJ’s BlogInFocus 302

12.2 Somatic sensations arise from receptors through-


out the body 278 13.2 Hormones are classified as steroid or
The skin contains a variety of sensory receptors 278 nonsteroid 302
Steroid hormones enter target cells 303
Contents xi

Nonsteroid hormones bind to receptors on target cell Health & Wellness Dealing with Diabetes: Prevention or
membranes 303 Treatment? 318
Some hormones participate in negative feedback Addison’s disease: too little cortisol and
loops 304 aldosterone 318
Cushing’s syndrome: too much cortisol 318
13.3 The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland 304 Hypogonadism: too little testosterone 319
The posterior pituitary stores ADH and oxytocin 305 MJ’s BlogInFocus 321
The anterior pituitary produces six key hormones 307
Pituitary disorders: hypersecretion or hyposecretion 308
14 The Digestive System
13.4 The pancreas secretes glucagon, insulin, and Nutrition 322
and somatostatin 309
Current Issue Choosing Organic Versus
Conventional Foods 323
13.5 The adrenal glands comprise the cortex MJ’s BlogInFocus 324
and medulla 310
The adrenal cortex: glucocorticoids and
mineralocorticoids 310 14.1 The digestive system brings nutrients
The adrenal medulla: epinephrine and into the body 325
norepinephrine 310
The walls of the GI tract are composed of four layers 326
Five basic processes accomplish digestive system
13.6 Thyroid and parathyroid glands 311 function 326
The thyroid gland: thyroxine speeds cellular Two types of motility aid digestive processes 327
metabolism 311
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) controls blood calcium
levels 313
14.2 The mouth processes food for swallowing 327
Teeth bite and chew food 328
The tongue positions and tastes food 328
13.7 Testes and ovaries produce sex hormones 314
Saliva begins the process of digestion 328
Testes produce testosterone 314
MJ’s BlogInFocus 314
Ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone 314
14.3 The pharynx and esophagus deliver food
to the stomach 329

13.8 Other glands and organs also secrete


hormones 314 14.4 The stomach stores food, digests protein,
and regulates delivery 330
Thymus gland hormones aid the immune system 314
Gastric juice breaks down proteins 330
The pineal gland secretes melatonin 314
Stomach contractions mix food and push it
Endocrine functions of the heart, the digestive system, forward 331
and the kidneys 315

14.5 The small intestine digests food and absorbs


13.9 Other chemical messengers 316
nutrients and water 332
Histamine is important in inflammation 316
Prostaglandins: local control of blood flow 316
14.6 Accessory organs aid digestion and
Nitric oxide has multiple functions 316
absorption 333
Growth factors regulate tissue growth 316
The pancreas secretes enzymes and NaHCO3 333
The liver produces bile and performs many other
13.10 Disorders of the endocrine system 317 functions 333
Diabetes mellitus: inadequate control of blood sugar 317 The gallbladder stores bile until needed 334
Hypothyroidism: underactive thyroid gland 317
Hyperthyroidism: overactive thyroid gland 317
xii Contents

14.7 The large intestine absorbs nutrients 15.2 Organs of the urinary system 354
and eliminates wastes 335 Ureters transport urine to the bladder 355
MJ’s BlogInFocus 335 Urinary bladder stores urine 355
MJ’s BlogInFocus 356
14.8 How nutrients are absorbed 335 The urethra carries urine from the body 356
Proteins and carbohydrates are digested, then
absorbed 335
15.3 The internal structure of a kidney 356
Lipids are broken down, then reassembled 336
Special blood vessels supply the tubule 357
Water is absorbed by osmosis 336
Health & Wellness Should You Drink Raw Milk? 337
Vitamins and minerals follow a variety of paths 337
15.4 Formation of urine: filtration, reabsorption, and
secretion 358
Glomerular filtration filters fluid from capillaries 359
14.9 Nerves and hormones regulate digestion 338 Tubular reabsorption returns filtered water and solutes to
blood 360
14.10 Nutrition: you are what you eat 338 Tubular secretion removes other substances from
blood 361
ChooseMyPlate.gov offers a personalized approach 338
MJ’s BlogInFocus 361
Carbohydrates: a major energy source 339
Lipids: essential cell components and energy sources 339
Complete proteins contain every amino acid 340 15.5 Producing diluted or concentrated urine 362
Vitamins are essential for normal function 341 Producing dilute urine: excreting excess water 362

Minerals: elements essential for body processes 342 Producing concentrated urine: conserving water 363

Fiber benefits the colon 343


MJ’s BlogInFocus 343 15.6 Urination depends on a reflex 363

14.11 Food labels 343 15.7 The kidneys contribute to homeostasis in many
ways 363
ADH regulates water balance 364
14.12 Energy balance 344
Aldosterone regulates salt balance 364
Energy balance, body weight, and physical activity 344
The renin-angiotensin system controls blood volume
Healthy weight improves overall health 344 and blood pressure 365
Obesity 345 Atrial natriuretic hormone protects against blood volume
excess 366
14.13 Eating disorders 345 Kidneys help maintain acid-base balance and blood
pH 366
Erythropoietin stimulates production of red blood
14.14 Disorders of the digestive system 346 cells 367
Disorders of the GI tract 346 Kidneys activate vitamin D 367
Disorders of the accessory organs 347
MJ’s BlogInFocus 350 15.8 Disorders of the urinary system 367
Kidney stones can block urine flow 367
Health & Wellness Water Intoxication 368
15 The Urinary System 351 Urinary tract infections are often caused by bacteria 368
Current Issue A Shortage of Kidneys 352 Acute and chronic renal failure impair kidney function 368
MJ’s BlogInFocus 369
Dialysis cleanses the blood artificially 369
Kidney transplants are a permanent solution to renal
failure 369
15.1 The urinary system regulates body fluids 353 MJ’s BlogInFocus 370
The kidneys regulate water levels 354 Urinary incontinence is a loss of bladder control 370
The kidneys regulate nitrogenous wastes and other MJ’s BlogInFocus 372
solutes 354
Contents xiii

16.6 Infertility: inability to conceive 389


16 Reproductive Systems 373 Infertility can have many causes 389
Current Issue Would You Like a Boy Enhancing fertility 390
or a Girl? 374
MJ’s BlogInFocus 390

16.7 Sexually transmitted diseases 391


16.1 The male reproductive system delivers Bacterial STDs: syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia 391
sperm 375 Viral STDs: HIV, hepatitis B, HPV, and genital
Testes produce sperm 375 herpes 393
Accessory glands help sperm survive 376 Health & Wellness Have You Had Your Gardasil? 394
Sperm production requires several cell divisions 377 MJ’s BlogInFocus 395
Testosterone affects male reproductive capacity 378 Other STDs: yeast infections, trichomoniasis, and pubic
lice 395
Protecting yourself against STDs 396
16.2 The female reproductive system produces eggs MJ’s BlogInFocus 398
and supports pregnancy 379
Ovaries release oocytes and secrete hormones 379
The uterus nurtures the developing embryo
The vagina: organ of sexual intercourse and birth
379
17 Cell Reproduction and
canal 380 Differentiation 399
Mammary glands nourish the infant 380 Current Issue Therapeutic Cloning 400

16.3 The menstrual cycle consists of ovarian


and uterine cycles 381
The ovarian cycle: oocytes mature and are released 381
The uterine cycle prepares the uterus for pregnancy 382 17.1 The cell cycle creates new cells 401
Cyclic changes in hormone levels produce the menstrual
cycle 382
17.2 DNA structure and function: an overview 402
Replication: copying DNA before cell division 403
16.4 Human sexual response, intercourse, and
fertilization 384 Mutations are alterations in DNA 403
The male sexual response 384 Mechanisms of DNA repair 404
The female sexual response 384 Transcription: converting a gene’s code into mRNA 404
Fertilization: one sperm penetrates the egg 384 Translation: making a protein from RNA 405

16.5 Birth control methods: controlling fertility 385 17.3 Cell reproduction: one cell becomes two 407
Abstinence: not having intercourse 385 Mitosis: daughter cells are identical to the parent cell 407
Surgical sterilization: vasectomy and tubal Cytokinesis divides one cell into two identical cells 408
ligation 385 Mitosis produces cells identical to the parent cell 408
Hormonal methods: pills, injections, patches, and Meiosis prepares cells for sexual reproduction 409
rings 386 Sex differences in meiosis: four sperm versus one egg 410
IUDs are inserted into the uterus 386
Diaphragms and cervical caps block the cervix 387
17.4 How cell reproduction is regulated 411
Chemical spermicides kill sperm 387
MJ’s BlogInFocus 411
Condoms trap ejaculated sperm 387
Withdrawal and periodic abstinence 388
17.5 Environmental factors influence cell
Pills that can be used after intercourse 388
differentiation 412
MJ’s BlogInFocus 388
Differentiation during early development 412
Elective abortion 388
Differentiation later in development 413
The future in birth control 388
xiv Contents

17.6 Reproductive cloning requires an undifferentiated 18.6 The ten deadliest cancers 432
cell 413 Lung cancer: smoking is leading risk factor 432
Embryo splitting produces identical offspring 414 Cancers of colon and rectum: tests can detect them
Somatic cell nuclear transfer produces a clone of an early 433
adult 414 Breast cancer: early detection pays off 433
MJ’s BlogInFocus 415 Pancreatic cancer: rarely detected early
enough 433
17.7 Therapeutic cloning: creating tissues and Prostate cancer: most common after age 50 434
organs 415 Health & Wellness What If You Could Save Someone’s
MJ’s BlogInFocus 418 Life? 434
Leukemia: chemotherapy is often effective 435
Lymphoma: cancers of lymphoid tissues 435

18 Cancer: Uncontrolled Cell Division Urinary bladder cancer: surgery is often successful if
done early 435
and Differentiation 419 Esophageal cancer: a high ratio of deaths to cases 435
Current Issue Preventive Double Mastectomy Cancer of the uterus: unusual uterine bleeding is major
to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk 420 symptom 436
MJ’s BlogInFocus 436

18.7 Some other notable cancers 436


18.1 Tumors can be benign or cancerous 421 Kidney cancers 436
Skin cancer 436

18.2 Cancer cells undergo structural and functional Ovarian cancer 437
changes 422 Testicular cancer 437
A pattern of changes leading to a lack of control 423
Cancer stages 423 18.8 Most cancers could be prevented 437
MJ’s BlogInFocus 440

18.3 Factors contributing to cancer development 424


Mutant forms of proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor
genes, and mutator genes contribute to cancer 424 19 Genetics and Inheritance 441
A variety of factors can lead to cancer 425 Current Issue Should You Have Genetic Tests
MJ’s BlogInFocus 427 for Disease Risks? 442
The immune system plays an important role in cancer
prevention 427

18.4 Advances in diagnosis enable early 19.1 Your genotype is the genetic basis of your
detection 428 phenotype 443
Tumor imaging: X-rays, PET, and MRI 429 MJ’s BlogInFocus 444
Genetic testing can identify mutated genes 430
Enzyme tests may detect cancer markers 430 19.2 Genetic inheritance follows certain
patterns 445
Punnett square analysis predicts patterns of
18.5 Cancer treatments 430 inheritance 445
Conventional cancer treatments: surgery, radiation, and
chemotherapy 430 Mendel established the basic principles of
genetics 445
MJ’s BlogInFocus 430
Dominant alleles are expressed over recessive
Magnetism and photodynamic therapy target malignant alleles 446
cells 431
Two-trait crosses: independent assortment of genes for
Immunotherapy promotes immune response 431 different traits 448
“Starving” cancer by inhibiting angiogenesis 431
Molecular treatments target defective genes 432
Contents xv

19.3 Incomplete dominance and codominance 450 20.2 DNA can be cloned in the laboratory 467
Incomplete dominance: heterozygotes have an interme- Recombinant DNA technology: isolating and cloning
diate phenotype 450 genes 467
Codominance: both gene products are equally Cloning DNA fragments: the polymerase chain
expressed 450 reaction 469
Health & Wellness Cystic Fibrosis 452 Health & Wellness DNA-Based Vaccines Against
MJ’s BlogInFocus 452 Viruses 469
Identifying the source of DNA: DNA fingerprinting 470
19.4 Other factors influencing inheritance patterns
and phenotype 452 20.3 Genetic engineering creates transgenic
Polygenic inheritance: phenotype is influenced by many organisms 471
genes 452 Transgenic bacteria have many uses 471
Both genotype and the environment affect phenotype 453 Transgenic plants: more vitamins and better pest
Linked alleles may or may not be inherited together 454 resistance 472
MJ’s BlogInFocus 473
19.5 Sex-linked inheritance 454 Transgenic animals: a bigger challenge 473
Sex-linked inheritance depends on genes located on sex MJ’s BlogInFocus 473
chromosomes 454
Sex-influenced traits are affected by actions of sex 20.4 Gene therapy: the hope of the future? 474
genes 455
Gene therapy must overcome many obstacles 475
Vectors transfer genes into human cells 475
19.6 Alterations in chromosome number or Success with SCID gives hope 476
structure 456
Research targets cystic fibrosis and cancer 476
Down syndrome: three copies of chromosome 21 456
MJ’s BlogInFocus 478
Alterations of the number of sex chromosomes 457
MJ’s BlogInFocus 458
Deletions and translocations alter chromosome
structure 458 21 Development, Maturation, Aging,
and Death 479
19.7 Inherited disorders involving recessive alleles 458 Current Issue Death with Dignity (Brittany
Phenylketonuria is caused by a missing enzyme 458 Maynard’s Journey) 480
Tay-sachs disease leads to brain dysfunction 458
Huntington disease is caused by a dominant-lethal
allele 459
21.1 Fertilization begins when sperm and egg unite 481
19.8 Genes code for proteins, not for specific The journeys of egg and sperm 481
behaviors 459 One sperm fertilizes the egg 482
MJ’s BlogInFocus 462 Twins may be fraternal or identical 483

21.2 Developmental processes: cleavage, growth,


20 DNA Technology and Genetic differentiation, and morphogenesis 484
Engineering 463
Current Issue Genetically Modified 21.3 Pre-embryonic development: the first two
Plants 464 weeks 484

21.4 Embryonic development: weeks three to eight 485


Tissues and organs derive from three germ layers 485
20.1  NA sequencing reveals the structure of
D Extra-embryonic membranes 486
DNA 466
The placenta and umbilical cord 486
MJ’s BlogInFocus 467
The embryo develops rapidly 488
xvi Contents

21.5 Gender development 489 22.2 Natural selection contributes to evolution 510
Random mutations underlie evolution 510
21.6 Fetal development: nine weeks to birth 490 Natural selection encourages changes in the gene
pool 510
Months three and four 490
Genetic drift and gene flow alter populations 510
MJ’s BlogInFocus 490
Mass extinctions eliminated many species 511
Months five and six 490
MJ’s BlogInFocus 511
Months seven through nine 490
Evolutionary trees trace relationships between
species 511
21.7 Birth and the early postnatal period 490
Labor ends in delivery 491 22.3 In the beginning, Earth was too hot for life 512
MJ’s BlogInFocus 492
Cesarean delivery: surgical delivery of a baby 492
22.4 The first cells lived without oxygen 512
The transition from fetus to newborn 492
Organic molecules formed from atmospheric
Lactation produces milk to nourish the newborn 494 gases 512
Self-replicating RNA and DNA formed 512
21.8 Maturation: from birth to adulthood 494 The first living cells were anaerobic 512
The neonatal period: a helpless time 494
Infancy: rapid development and maturation of organ 22.5 Photosynthesis altered the course
systems 494 of evolution 513
Childhood: continued development and growth 495 Aerobic organisms evolved 513
Adolescence: the transition to adulthood 495 The rise of animals and our human ancestors 513
Health & Wellness Prenatal Diagnostic
Techniques 496
22.6 Humans share a common ancestor
with primates 514
21.9 Aging 496 Humans are primates 514
What causes aging? 497
Evolution of Homo Sapiens 516
MJ’s BlogInFocus 497
MJ’s BlogInFocus 517
Body systems age at different rates 498
Differences within the human species 518
Aging well 499
MJ’s BlogInFocus 520

21.10 Death 500


MJ’s BlogInFocus 502 23 Ecosystems and Populations 521
Current Issue Overharvesting is Depleting the
Oceans’ Wildlife Populations 522
22 Evolution and the Origins
of Life 503
Current Issue Who Were the Flores
People? 504 23.1 Ecosystems: living organisms and their
environment 524

23.2 The dynamic nature of populations 524


22.1 The evidence for evolution 506 Where a species lives: habitat and range 524
The fossil record: incomplete but valuable 506 Population growth rate tends toward biotic
Comparative anatomy and embryology provide more potential 525
evidence 507 Environmental resistance limits biotic potential 525
Comparative biochemistry examines similarities between Invasive species alter the ecological balance 526
molecules 508
Biogeography: the impact of geographic barriers and
continental drift on evolutionary processes 509
MJ’s BlogInFocus 509
Contents xvii

23.3 Communities: different species living Pollutants produce acid rain 545
together 526 MJ’s BlogInFocus 546
Overlapping niches foster competition 526 Smog blankets industrial areas 546
Succession leads toward a mature community 526
Ecosystems: communities and their physical 24.2 Pollution jeopardizes scarce water supplies 546
environment 527
Water is scarce and unequally distributed 546
MJ’s BlogInFocus 547
23.4 Energy flows through living organisms 528 Urbanization increases storm water runoff 547
Producers capture and convert energy, consumers rely on Human activities pollute freshwater 547
stored energy 528
Groundwater pollution may impair human health 548
MJ’s BlogInFocus 528
Oil pollution and garbage are damaging oceans and
A food web: interactions among producers and shorelines 549
consumers 529
The lower levels of an ecological pyramid support
­consumer populations 531 24.3 Pollution and overuse damage the land 549
Human activities disrupt ecological pyramids 531
24.4 Energy: many options, many choices 550
23.5 The matter (material) comprising living organisms MJ’s BlogInFocus 552
is recycled 532
The water cycle is essential to other biogeochemical 24.5 Environmental change and loss
cycles 532
of biodiversity 552
The carbon cycle: organisms exchange CO2 with the
atmosphere 533 Humans alter and destroy habitats 552

Nitrogen: an essential component of nucleic acids Urbanization is a major force for environmental
and proteins 534 change 553
Phosphorus: a sedimentary cycle 534 Biodiversity is healthy for humans, too 553
MJ’s BlogInFocus 535
24.6 Toward sustainable development 553
23.6 Human population growth 536 Measuring sustainability and quality of life 553
Zero population growth has not yet been achieved 536 Strategies to support sustainable development 554
Population age structure is linked to economic MJ’s BlogInFocus 557
development 537
MJ’s BlogInFocus 538 Glossary G-1
MJ’s BlogInFocus 540
Answers A-1

Credits C-1
24 Human Impacts, Biodiversity, Index I-1
and Environmental Issues 541
Current Issue Global Warming and Global
Climate Change 542

24.1 Pollutants impair air quality 544


Excessive greenhouse gases are causing global
warming 544
CFCs deplete the ozone layer 545
Preface

Should childhood vaccinations be mandatory for school and so forth, are included both in the text and in the
attendance? Are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) accompanying figure. These correlating step icons will
a good or a bad thing? How will our future be affected by help students follow the logical sequence of events as
global warming and global climate change, and what, if those events unfold within a complex process.
anything, should we be doing about these phenomena? Are ●● Updated Features, Graphs, Tables, and Text. Key
organic foods better for you than conventional foods? features of this text are currency and accuracy. Time-
Questions such as these seem to come up almost daily. dependent data has been updated with the latest infor-
Those of us who find these questions and the news stories mation available. The updated text includes eleven new
about them fascinating—and yes, even exciting!—have an or extensively updated Current Issue features, three new
obligation to help others understand science and the impact Health & Wellness features, and more than 60 new MJ’s
it has on their lives. Science is too much fun and far too BlogInFocus entries.
important to be left to scientists.

New to This Edition The Focus Is On the Student


This book is written for students who do not yet have a
Changes to this edition are designed to encourage students
strong background in science so that they, too, might share
who do not have a strong background in science to become
in the joy and wonder of science. Every effort is made to
actively engaged in the course. Improved pedagogy helps
make the book accurate and up to date while keeping it
students focus their learning, directs their attention to key
inviting, accessible, and easy to read. The look and feel
concepts and current issues in biology, and encourages
of the text is intentionally like that of a news magazine,
thoughtful analysis and critical thinking.
peppered with short features likely to be of interest to the
●● New organization to the chapter opening material. student and designed with a strong visual appeal.
To help the student develop an organized approach to Each chapter begins with an outline of the main topic
a chapter’s content, each chapter opener now includes headings and a list of key concepts to be covered. Next, a
an outline of the main headings and a list of the key Current Issue feature highlights a recent controversy or ethi-
concepts to be covered. cal/social/political issue related to topics to be covered in
●● Addition of a “connections” passage. The initial the chapter. In the introductory section of each chapter, a
section of text in each chapter includes a “connections” new “connections” passage helps the student understand
passage, delineated by a chain-link icon , that provides just how the topic of the chapter fits into the bigger picture
the student with a sense of how a chapter’s specific topic of human biology and the larger world.
interrelates to the overall subject of human biology, Students are naturally curious about how their own
biology in general, and the larger world. bodies work and human diseases and disorders. We capital-
●● New ways to access MJ’s BlogInFocus entries. To ize on this curiosity with Health & Wellness features that
rouse students’ interest in the science they encounter highlight timely health topics. In addition, organ system
in their everyday lives, once again incorporated into chapters generally conclude with a section covering the
each chapter are references to the author’s blog. With more common human diseases and disorders.
this edition, the MJ’s BlogInFocus is more accessible, as Once again, a key feature of the book is MJ’s BlogInFocus,
students can now view the blog entries via three different brief references to a blog Web site written by Dr. Johnson in
ways: directly with their smartphones by scanning a QR support of this text. The URL is www.humanbiologyblog.
code, online by typing a URL into a search engine, or blogspot.com. Two to four MJ’s BlogInFocus entries per
by visiting the MasteringBiology Web site. Each chapter chapter highlight recent discoveries or news items relevant
includes two to four MJ’s BlogInFocus references. It is to the subject of each chapter. Most of the blog entries have
hoped that these references to the author’s Web site will an additional embedded URL that takes the student
encourage students to further explore science related directly to a news source or research paper. We hope that
topics that are of particular interest to them. MJ’s BlogInFocus entries and the author’s blog will encourage
●● Refreshed Visual Content. To revitalize the visual curious students to dig a little deeper into topics that interest
content, 120 new photos replace images from the previous them. New to this edition are the means by which students
edition, and 16 figures are new. More than 30 other can access the blog entries. Students can now get to the blog
figures have been improved from the previous edition. in any one of three ways: They can scan a QR code, type a
●● The use of numbered steps. Where complex processes URL into a search engine, or visit Pearson’s MasteringBiology
are described, numbered step icons, 1 , 2 , 3 , Web site.

xviii
Preface xix

To help students assess whether or not they understand The Organization Fits the Course
the material, check questions throughout the text allow the
students to test their understanding as they go along. This book was designed to accommodate the fairly standard
Finally, at the end of each chapter is a range of question format for college courses in human biology. There are
types, from concept review to recall to application, each chapters that introduce science and chemistry, chapters
designed to test the student’s knowledge of facts as well as that cover basic human biology from cells through the
stimulate their critical thinking skills. human organ systems, and finally, chapters on evolution,
ecosystems and populations, and human impacts on the
environment.
Unifying Themes Tie the Subjects With such broad coverage, however, there is never
enough time to teach all that is interesting, exciting, and
Together relevant about human biology in one semester. Fortunately,
Several unifying themes in biology hold the chapters because each chapter was written to stand on its own, this
together. Homeostasis, the state of dynamic equilibrium book allows for a certain degree of flexibility. Instructors
in which the internal environment of an organism is wishing to emphasize the basics of human anatomy and
maintained fairly constant, is one of those recurrent physiology or focus on the medical aspects of human bi-
themes. The concept of homeostasis ties in with another ology could omit or de-emphasize the last two chapters.
recurrent theme: Structure and function are related. Instructors should also feel free to present the organ system
Structure/function relationships are the very core of the chapters in a different order if they feel more comfort-
study of anatomy and physiology, and both of these fields able doing so. Within chapters, sections on diseases and
in turn rely on the most unifying concept in all of biology: disorders could be omitted or considered optional. Those
evolution. Only in the context of evolution can anatomy interested in a more molecular or cellular approach might
and physiology be fully understood; without the concept of want to give greater emphasis to Chapters 2–4 and 17–21
evolution, very little in biology makes sense. and move more quickly through the organ systems chap-
A predominant theme of this book is that each of us ters. Those more interested in the broader picture of where
has choices to make—choices that will affect ourselves, humans came from and how humans fit into the world
other humans, and the entire planet. Should all children order may want to allow sufficient time for the last three
be vaccinated against childhood diseases? Should we spend chapters, even if it means that they must move quickly or
time and money preparing for a pandemic that may never selectively through the organ system chapters. All of these
occur? Will we be willing and able to slow the rate of global approaches are equally valid.
warming? Is it important that we save other species from However much you cover, dig in and enjoy your course!
extinction, and if so, how should we go about it? Students
are encouraged to formulate their own views on these and Michael D. Johnson
other topics so that they will feel comfortable with related
choices they make.
keep current in biology
Through his teaching, his textbook, and in his online blog, award-winning
teacher Michael D. Johnson sparks your interest by connecting basic
biology to real-world issues relevant to your life.

“I hope the blog will stimulate students to go beyond the required reading, ­leading
them to discover and explore subjects of personal interest. When this happens,
­students will ultimately be learning because they want to, not because they have to,
and they’ll be more comfortable with science and with biology.”

—Michael Johnson, Author of Human Biology: Concepts and Current Issues

BlogInFocus in-text references appear at applicable


points within the chapter and direct you to the
blog that provides up-to-date insights on important
issues in the news. The blog is updated 3–4 times
per month.

NEW! Three options for accessing


Michael Johnson’s BlogInFocus entries: You
may scan a QR code using a smartphone,
type the URL (www.humanbiologyblog.
blogspot.com) into a search engine, or log
into your MasteringBiology subscription.

BlogInFocus MasteringBiology™ activities encourage


students to read the blog and allow instructors to assess
their understanding of the applied material.
engage with high interest essays
Each chapter opens with Michael Johnson’s popular “Current Issue” essays, and
BlogInFocus references within the chapter direct you to his frequently updated
online blog for breaking human biology-related news.

Located at the start of each chapter, Ch apter

Current Issue essays draw you into


The Immune System and
Mechanisms of Defense
9
the subject with interesting science CUrreNt ISSUe Questions to Consider
1 What should the United States
An Outbreak of Ebola
and health news items, connecting
do when an infectious disease breaks
9.1 Pathogens cause disease 190 out elsewhere in the world? In such a
9.2 The lymphatic system defends scenario, what is our responsibility
One-year-old Emile Ouamouno of the West
the body 192 African nation of Guinea developed a cough and/or what is in our best interests?
2 how afraid are you of ebola? Would
human biology to real-world issues.
9.3 Keeping pathogens out: the first and mild fever. emile’s parents thought
line of defense 195 nothing of his sickness at first, but then you be willing to travel to Guinea if your
9.4 Nonspecific defenses: the second he developed widespread uncontrollable boss asked you to? Why or why not?
line of defense 196 bleeding. Within days, he was dead.
Shortly thereafter, his mother, sister, and Several features of the virus make it

Each essay provides contrasting


9.5 Specific defense mechanisms: grandmother all came down with the same particularly dangerous. First, the earliest
the third line of defense 199 symptoms, and all three died. a village symptoms of the disease are similar to
9.6 Immune memory creates nurse and the local midwife also died of the the common cold or the flu, so it may go
immunity 205 mysterious and apparently contagious disease, undiagnosed until it is too late. Second, the

views on the featured hot topic.


9.7 Medical assistance in the war but not before the midwife had passed it on Freshly dug graves for ebola victims in disease has a long incubation time (days
to people in the surrounding area. Freetown, Sierra Leone.
against pathogens 207 to even several weeks) before symptoms
Young emile, whose death occurred emile Ouamouno was probably bitten by an first appear. therefore, the disease can be
9.8 Tissue rejection: a medical on December 6, 2013, was posthumously infected fruit bat living in the trees nearby. transmitted to another person before anyone
challenge 209 diagnosed with a disease called ebola Once the first person is infected, the is aware that the patient actually has ebola.
9.9 Inappropriate immune hemorrhagic fever (ehV), or simply ebola. ebola virus is transmitted from human to third, the virus kills approximately 50% of all
system activity causes health emile is thought to be patient zero in an human by direct contact with bodily fluids persons infected, generally within days of the

Many NEW Current Issue essays


problems 209 ongoing outbreak of ebola that has spread in such as saliva, nasal mucous, or feces. appearance of symptoms. and fourth, there is
Guinea and two neighboring countries, Liberia It’s no surprise, then, that the next victims no known cure for the disease. the only way
9.10 Immune deficiency: the special
and Sierra Leone. as of 2015, the death toll in the most recent outbreak were emile’s to end an outbreak is to prevent the disease
case of AIDS 212
from ebola in those countries is over 8,000. relatives and caretakers. an infection from spreading from person to person.
begins with symptoms that may include

replace those from the previous


What Is Ebola? fever, weakness, muscle pain, sore throat, Ebola in the United States
New hIV particles (pink) budding from the surface of a t lymphocyte
ebola(blue).
is an infectious disease caused by and headache. these early symptoms are By early 2014, U.S. health officials were
a virus called Zaire ebolavirus. the virus’s followed by vomiting, damage to liver and well aware of the ebola outbreak in africa
normal hosts are certain animals such as kidneys, and, in some patients, internal and and were on the lookout for its appearance
Key Concepts elsewhere. Despite their preparations for

edition, including:
monkeys and bats, but it can also infect external bleeding. In the most severe cases,
humans if there is direct contact with an blood begins to leak from every opening and international spread of the disease, the
●● The health risk of a pathogen (disease-causing organism) is determined by its arrival of ebola in the United States caused
infected animal’s bodily fluids. Young every organ, leading to rapid death.
transmissibility (how easily it can be passed from person to person), mode of widespread concern and action. travel
transmission (how it is transmitted; through air, food, blood, etc.), and virulence restrictions and health screening procedures
(how damaging the disease is when one catches it). were put in place for all persons traveling
from Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea. U.S.

• The 2013 Ebola outbreak


●● The immune system has nonspecific (against many pathogens) and specific (against
one pathogen) defense mechanisms. hospitals made plans to isolate and treat what
could’ve possibly become a large number
●● Nonspecific defense mechanisms include immune system cells that engulf and of ebola-infected patients. health officials
digest foreign cells, chemicals that are toxic to foreign cells, proteins that interfere tracked down and quarantined persons who

(Chapter 9)
with viral reproduction, and the development of a fever. had been exposed to the virus. ebola was
among the top news stories every day.
●● Specific defense mechanisms involve the production of antibodies and T cells that ebola was first diagnosed within the
recognize and inactivate one particular pathogen. Specific defense mechanisms have United States during September of 2014,
a memory component that is the basis of immunity. when a Liberian man with the disease
Inappropriate immune system activity can lead to allergies and autoimmune diseases. traveled to Dallas, texas, to visit relatives.

• Regulation of e-cigarettes
●●
(he later died, despite the best medical care
●● AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is caused by a virus that targets available.) two U.S. health care workers
certain cells of the immune system. who had been in contact with the Liberian
patient were infected with the disease and
187

(Chapter 10)
began to show symptoms a month later.
Both of the care workers recovered fully. ➔

Medical personnel in Monrovia, Liberia,


disinfect people who brought a patient
suspected of having ebola to the hospital.

• Choosing between organic or con-


M09_JOHN2435_08_SE_C09.indd 187 9/28/15 6:39 PM

188

ventional foods (Chapter 14) M09_JOHN2435_08_SE_C09.indd 188 9/28/15 6:39 PM

Questions to Consider at the end of


each essay ask you to form your own
opinions on the featured issue.

NEW! Key Concepts are now listed at the


beginning of each chapter for a handy “big picture”
overview of topics that will be discussed in greater
detail in the pages that follow.
connect concepts and applications
to everyday life

UPDATED! Health & Wellness boxes NEW! Health & Wellness boxes include:
provide insights and practical advice on health • Donating Blood (Chapter 7)
topics, such as the causes and risks of carbon • Water Intoxication (Chapter 15)
monoxide poisoning and the prevalence and • What If You Could Save Someone’s Life?
consequences of Viagra abuse. (Chapter 18)

Michael Johnson’s blog also


features posts on recent health
and wellness related news items.
NEW! “Connections” passage at the
start of each chapter provides the student
with a sense of how a chapter’s specific
topic interrelates with the overall subject
of human biology, biology in general, and
to the larger world.

NEW! The use of numbered steps.


Where complex processes are described,
numbered step icons are included both
in the text and in the accompanying
figure. These correlating step icons help
students follow the logical sequence of
events as those events unfold within a
complex process.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

Before Class
is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment NEW! eText 2.0 Allow your students to access their
program that helps you quickly master biology text anytime, anywhere.
concepts and skills. Self-paced tutorials provide • Now available on smartphones and tablets
immediate wrong-answer feedback and hints • Seamlessly integrated digital and media resources
to help keep you on track to succeed in the • Fully accessible (screen-reader ready)

course. • Configurable reading settings, including resizable


type and night reading mode
• Instructor and student note-taking, highlighting,
Before bookmarking and search
Class
NEW! Dynamic Study Modules help students ac-
quire, retain, and recall information faster and more
efficiently than ever before. These convenient practice
questions and detailed review explanations can be ac-
cessed using a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

During
Class
after
Class

eText 2.0 Dynamic Study Modules


Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
bottle—a fault common with the wealthy in Persia—no vices such as
are usual in the Persians of towns.
We stayed with him four days; the first morning some fifty horses
were paraded for our inspection, for our host bred very fine animals,
and among other taxes had to find yearly three fine beasts fit for the
royal stables. As we sat at a window just raised from the ground, the
entire string were led or ridden past us; but as the clothing was on,
one could not see much of them.
This clothing consists of a perhan (shirt) of fine woollen blanketing,
which envelops the whole body of the animal, being crossed over the
chest, but all above the withers is bare. Over this is the jūl, or day
clothing; this the horse wears summer and winter, save during the
midday time in summer, when he is either naked or has only the
perhan on. The jūl is of the same shape as the perhan, but is of
coarser texture and lined with felt. Over the jūl is the nammad,[13] or
outer felt.
This is a sheet of felt half or three-quarters of an inch thick, and so
long that it can be drawn over the horse’s head and neck while the
quarters are still well covered, thus completely enveloping the animal
in a warm and waterproof covering, and enabling him to stand the
cold of winter in the draughty stables of the caravanserai, or even, as
is frequently required, to camp out. (During all the summer months in
Persia the horses sleep outside.)
This nammad is held in its place by a long strip of broad cotton
webbing, which is used as a surcingle, and usually, except at night,
the part of the nammad used to cover the neck is doubled down over
the animal’s body.
As the procession went by we gave free vent to our admiration; as
Pierson acknowledged, he had never seen such a collection of
horses. I, too, was surprised. Some dozen of the finer animals were
stripped, and as we admired each, the usual empty compliment of
“Peishkesh-i-shuma” (“A present to you”) was paid us.
The quail-shooting was good fun; we marched through the green
wheat in a row of some ten, horses and servants following, and the
birds got up in every direction, a very large bag being made, though
probably as many more were lost in the high wheat. The peculiar cry
of the bird resounded in every direction.
Several princes were among the guests of Mahommed Houssein
Khan, and he and his sons showed us and them the greatest
kindness and attention.
In the afternoon suddenly arrived Suleiman Mirza (literally Prince
Solomon), a near relative of the king, who was returning from a
pilgrimage to the burial-place of the saints at Kerbela, near Baghdad.
This man was quite a Daniel Lambert, moving with difficulty, very old,
but of a very merry disposition; a good deal of joking took place after
his arrival.

PERSIAN BAND.

After an apparently interminable Persian dinner, which consisted


of some hundred plats, among which may be favourably mentioned
the pillaws of mutton or fowls, boiled and smothered in rice, in rice
and orange-peel, in rice and lentils, in rice and haricots, in rice and
“schewed,” a herb somewhat resembling fennel; the fizinjans of fowls
and boiled meats; also partridges boiled and served with the
concentrated juice of the pomegranate and pounded walnuts;
kabobs of lamb and antelope; a lamb roasted whole, stuffed with
dates, pistachios, chestnuts, and raisins; salt fish from the Caspian;
extract of soup with marrow floating in it; dolmas, or dumplings,
made of minced meat and rice, highly flavoured and wrapped in vine
leaves and fried; rissoles; wild asparagus boiled; new potatoes,
handed round cold, and eaten with salt; while roast quails,
partridges, and doves were served with lettuces, drenched with
honey and vinegar.
Each guest was supplied with a loaf of flat bread as a plate, and
another for eating.
We sat on the ground, some twenty in all, round a huge tablecloth
of red leather, if I may use that expression, for a large sheet of
leather laid on the ground. Suleiman Mirza, as the king’s relative,
occupied the place of honour. On the other hand of our host sat
Pierson, and I next him, while Abu Seif Mirza, as a prince, took his
position by right on the other side of the great man, and was by him
punctiliously addressed as prince, and generally treated as one.
Huge china bowls of sherbet were placed down the centre of the
sūfrah (tablecloth), and in each bowl was an elaborately-carved
wooden spoon, which were used indiscriminately; these spoons held
a gill, and were drunk from, no glasses being used.
During the time the dinner was progressing little conversation took
place, everybody being engaged in eating as much of as many
dishes as possible. But a band of villagers played the santūr, a sort
of harmonicon; the tūmbak, or small drum, played on with the tips of
the fingers—there were two tūmbak players; the neh or flute, or,
more properly speaking, reed; and the deyeereh, literally circle, a
kind of large tambourine, played, like the tūmbak, with the tips of the
fingers.
As soon as every one had (literally) eaten his fill, Suleiman Mirza,
the king’s relative, rose, and we all got up.
In lieu of grace each man said, “Alhamdillilah!” (“Thank God!”) and
from politeness most of the guests eructated, showing that they were
thoroughly satisfied.
This ceremony is common through the East, and it is considered
the height of rudeness to the host to abstain from it. Coffee was now
handed round, and pipes were brought. A singer, too, commenced a
ditty, which he shouted as do costermongers when crying their wares
in England; he put his hand to the side of his mouth to increase the
sound, his face became crimson with his efforts, the muscles and
veins stood out in relief on his neck, and his eyes nearly started from
their sockets. He frequently paused to take breath, and ceased amid
loud applause. The singing and music were kept up till a late hour.
Politeness prevented our retiring, but we longed for rest; and on
Pierson’s being tormented into a long disquisition on magic, he
seized the opportunity to get away by stratagem. Telling the fat
prince that, as he insisted on seeing the magic of the West, he would
gratify him, he placed the old gentleman on a mattress, and putting
four princes (he insisted on royal blood), standing each on one leg at
the four corners, with a lighted lamp in each hand, he gravely
assured them that we should retire and perform an incantation,
while, if no one laughed or spoke, on our return the lights would burn
blue. We got to bed, barricaded ourselves in our room, and tried to
sleep. After some few minutes, loud shouts announced the discovery
of the ruse, and a party arrived to bring us back, but too late, for we
had retired.
Next morning I was asked to see some of the ladies of the family.
So little does this village khan observe the Mahommedan rule of
veiling the women, that I was allowed to pass my whole morning in
his anderūn. My host’s wife, a huge woman of five-and-forty in
appearance, but in reality about thirty-five, was intent on household
cares; she was making cucumber-jam. The cucumber having been
cut into long slices the thickness of an inch, and the peel and seeds
removed, had been soaked in lime-water some month; this was kept
frequently changed, and the pieces of cucumber were now quite
transparent. They were carefully put in a simmering stew-pan of
strong syrup, which was placed over a wood fire, and, after cooking
for a quarter of an hour, the pieces of cucumber were carefully laid in
an earthen jar, and the syrup poured over them, spices being added.
I fancy that about a hundredweight of this preserve was made that
morning. When cold the cucumber was quite crisp; the result
satisfied our hostess, and she presented me with a seven-pound jar.
Our host’s young son, a youth of seventeen, caused considerable
commotion among the two or three negresses by his efforts to get
his fingers into the cooling jam-pots; while his two sisters, nice-
looking girls of fifteen and sixteen, tried to restrain his fancy for
preserves in vain. We all laughed a great deal, and mother and
daughters were full of fun, while the grinning negresses thoroughly
enjoyed the noise and laughing.
Not having seen a woman’s face for three months, these girls
seemed to me perhaps better looking than they really were, but I
confess returning to the outer regions of the berūni with regret; and
Pierson envied my good fortune in having, as a medico, had a
glimpse of Persian home-life which he could never hope for. Really
the patient was, as it often is, a mere excuse for entertaining so
strange a being as a Feringhi, and getting thus a good look at him.
We went out twice after antelope, which we hunted with relays of
dogs; but as we were not successful, there is little to tell. We
returned to Hamadan, regretting the end of a very pleasant visit.
On our arrival a grateful patient among the Armenians sent me
eighty kerans (three pounds ten) in a little embroidered bag. As the
woman could ill afford it, I told her that I would accept the bag as a
keepsake, and returned the money. So unheard-of a proceeding
astonished the Armenian community, and the priest, a wealthy old
sinner, saw his way, as he thought, to a stroke of business. I had
treated him, too, and he brought me a similar sum in a similar bag.
Great was his disgust when I thanked him for the money and politely
returned the bag, and he confided to my servant that, had he thought
this would have been the result, he would never have paid a farthing.
One day a villager brought us two large lizards, some three feet
from snout to the tip of the tail, and we secured them for a couple of
kerans. They ran about the place for a week or two, interfering with
no one, but did not get tame. The dogs chased them when they were
not on the face or top of a wall, and they at first used to bolt; but after
a time they stood still, allowed the dog to get within range, and then
—thwack—the tail was brought down with tremendous force, and the
dog retired howling. After a day or two no dog would go near the
lizards. They were uninteresting as pets, and as Pierson once got a
severe blow on the shin from one he stumbled over in the dark, we
sent them away. They were huge beasts, of a yellow-ochre colour,
and lived on flies and chopped meat; they were never seen to drink.
I purchased about this time a talking lark: he seemed the ordinary
lark such as we see in England; “torgah” is the Persian name. The
bird never sang, but said very plainly, “Bebe, Bebe Tūtee,” which is
equivalent to “Pretty Polly”—being really “Lady, lady parrot;” he
varied occasionally by “Bebe jahn” (“Dear lady”). The articulation
was extremely clear. There are many talking larks in Persia. The
bazaar or shopkeeper class are fond of keeping larks, goldfinches,
and parrots, in cages over their shops.
Sitting, too, on our roof, we could see the pigeon-flying or kafteh-
bazi. A pigeon-fancier in Persia is looked upon as a lūti (blackguard),
as his amusement takes him on the roofs of others, and is supposed
to lead to impropriety; it being considered the height of indecency to
look into another’s courtyard.
The pigeons kept are the carrier, which are very rare; the tumbler,
or mallagh (mallagh, a summersault), and the fantail, or ba-ba-koo.
The name exactly represents the call of the fantail. It was this bird
which was supposed to bring the revelations to the prophet
Mahommed, and consequently keeping a fantail or two is not looked
on as discreditable. They are never killed. These fantails do not fly
with the rest, keeping in the owner’s yard and on the roof. The yahoo
is the other ordinary variety, and is only valued for its flesh, being
bred, as we breed fowls, by the villagers. It has a feathered leg, and
will not fly far from home.
The pigeons are flown twice a day, in the early morning and
evening, and it is a very pretty thing to watch.
The owner opens the door and out fly all the pigeons, perhaps
thirty, commencing a circular flight, whose circles become larger and
larger. The fancier watches them eagerly from his roof, and when he
has given them a sufficient flight and there are none of his rival’s
birds in view, he calls and agitates a rag affixed to a long pole. This
is the signal for feeding, and the weaker birds generally return at
once to their cupboard, the stronger continue their flight, but lessen
the diameter of the circle, and one by one return, the best birds
coming back last. As they come over the house they commence to
“tumble” in the well-known manner, falling head over heels as if shot;
some birds merely make one turn over, while others make twenty. It
is a very curious and a very pretty sight. The birds are extremely
tame, and settle on the person of the fancier.
Hitherto there has been nothing more than a flight of pigeons, but
in the afternoon, about an hour or two hours before sunset, the real
excitement commences. Up goes a flight of some twenty pigeons,
they commence to make circles; no sooner does their course extend
over the house of a rival fancier than he starts his birds in a cloud, in
the hope of inveigling an outlying bird or two into his own flock; then
both owners call, whistle, and scream wildly, agitating their poles and
flags.
The rival flocks separate, but one bird has accompanied the more
successful fancier’s flight. As it again passes over the house of the
victimised one, he liberates two of his best birds; these are mixed
with the rest, but ere they have completed half a circle they, with the
lost one, rejoin their own flight. Their delighted owner now calls down
his birds, and in a few moments envelops a pair of his rival’s in a
crowd of his own.
Then again commence the cries, the whistlings, the agitating flags,
and the liberation of single or pairs or flights of birds. As one of Mr.
A.’s birds is being convoyed towards B.’s roof with a pair of his, Mr.
C. envelops the three in a cloud of pigeons, and the whole flock
alight—C.’s flight in his own dovecot, and A.’s bird and B.’s pair, as
timid strangers, on a neighbouring wall; A. and B. vainly screaming
while their two flocks keep circling high in air. C., B., and A.
simultaneously run over roofs and walls to get near the birds. But B.
and A. have a long way to travel, while happy C. is close by; he
crouches double, and carrying in one hand a kind of landing-net,
makes for the birds; in his bosom is a fantail pigeon, in his left hand
some grain. Artful B. throws a stone and his two birds rise and fly
home, and with a fancier’s delight he watches C.; but A. is too far off
for this manœuvre, and hurries over roof after roof. Too late! C. has
tossed his fantail down near A.’s bird, the fantail, struts about calling
“Ba-ba-koo, ba-ba-koo!” The prize has his attention taken and stoops
to peck the seed that C. has tossed over a low wall. As he does so
C.’s landing-net is on him, the fantail flies lazily home, and C.,
shouting and brandishing his capture, makes the best of his way to
the roof of his own premises.
Then the flights begin again, rival fanciers from distant roofs
liberate their flocks, flags are waved, and the drama, with endless
variations, is repeated. Once a fancier always a fancier, they say.
A. repairs to C.’s house to buy back his bird at six or more times
its intrinsic value, for to leave a bird in the hands of a rival fancier
might cost the man his whole flock on a subsequent occasion, the
captured birds, of course, acting as the best of decoys.
The favourite birds are ornamented with little rings or bracelets of
silver, brass, or ivory, which are borne like bangles on the legs (the
mallagh, or tumbler, has no feathers on the leg) and rattle when the
bird walks; these bangles are not ransomed, but remain lawful prize.
As the colours of the birds are very different, one soon recognises
the individual birds of one’s neighbours’ collections, and the interest
one feels in their successes and defeats is great. Our high roof,
towering over most others, made us often sit and watch the pigeon-
flying; and the circling birds as they whirred past us, flight after flight,
against the blue, cloudless sky near sunset, was a sight worth
seeing. The fanciers were many of them old men, and some actually
lived on the ransom exacted from the owners of their captives.
These pigeon-fanciers had a slang of their own, and each
coloured bird had a distinctive name. So amused were we that I
ordered my groom to buy a flight of pigeons and commence
operations; but Syud Houssein, the British Agent, pointed out that it
would be infra dig. to engage in a practice that was considered
incorrect. It is strange that sporting, or what is called sporting,
generally leads, even in the East, to blackguardism.
Card-playing, too, is only indulged in by the less reputable of the
community; there is only one game, called Ahs an Ahs; it is played
with twenty cards—four kings, four soldiers (or knaves), four queens
(or ladies), four latifeh (or courtesans), and four ahs (or aces). This
latter is shown generally by the arms of Persia, “the Lion and Sun.”
The lion is represented couchant regardant, bearing a scimitar, while
the sun (“kurshid,” or head of glory) is portrayed as a female face
having rays of light around it; this is shown as rising over the lion’s
quarters. There is only this one game of cards played with the
gungifeh (or cards); they can hardly be called cards, as they are
made of papier-maché an eighth of an inch thick, and elaborately
painted. As much as ten tomans can be given for a good pack.
European cards are getting generally used among the upper
classes, who, under the name of bank or banco, have naturalised
the game of lansquenet. But as Persians have an idea that all is fair
at cards, like ladies at round games, they will cheat, and he who
does so undetected is looked on as a good player (“komar-baz
zereng,” clever gamester).
Chess (“shahtrenj”) is much played by the higher classes, but in
the Indian manner, the pawn having only one square to pass and not
two at the first, as with us. Backgammon, too, is in great vogue; the
dice, however, are thrown with the hand, which leads to great
“cleverness,” an old hand throwing what he likes; but as the usual
stakes are a dinner or a fat lamb, not much harm is done.
The lower orders have a kind of draughts played on a board
(marked somewhat similar to our Fox and Geese), and at each angle
of which is placed a mor (seal), i. e. piece. This game is generally
played on a brick or large tile, the board being chalked, the pieces
stones; they are moved from angle to angle. I never could fathom
how it is played, the rules being always different and seemingly
arbitrary.
Another game is played on a wooden board or an embroidered
cloth one; this is an ancient one called takht-i-pul. I have a very old
embroidered cloth forming the board, the men being of carved ivory,
given me by Mr. G⸺, of the Persian Telegraph Department, but I
never could find two Persians who agreed as to the rules. Pitch-and-
toss is constantly engaged in by the boys in the bazaar.
Rounders (a bastard form of it) are played by the Ispahan boys,
and they also play at a species of fives. Marbles are unknown, but I
have seen the primitive game of “bonse,” which is played by our
boys with “bonses” (large marbles), large pebbles being the
substitutes for the bonses in Persia, as they are with street-boys
here.
Wrestling is in great favour; the gymnasia (Zūr Khana) are
frequented by the youth and manhood of all ranks, who meet there
on an equality. Wrestling bouts are common among the boys and
youths on every village maidān.
In each gymnasium (Zūr Khana, literally “house of force”) the
professional “pehliwan,” or wrestlers, practise daily; and gymnastics,
i. e. a course of attendance at a gymnasium, are often prescribed by
the native doctor. Generally an experienced and retired pehliwan
acts as “lanista,” and for a small fee prescribes a regular course of
exercises. Dumb-bells are much used; also a heavy block of wood,
shield-shape, some two feet by three, and three inches thick, with an
aperture in the middle, in which is placed a handle. The gymnast lies
on his back, and holding this in one hand makes extension from side
to side; a huge bow of thick steel plates, with a chain representing
the string, is bent and unbent frequently.
But the great and most favourite implements are the clubs (what
we call Indian clubs); these the professional athlete will use of great
size and weight; and after going through the usual exercises will hurl
them, together or alternately, to a great height, and unfailingly catch
them.
The wrestling is carried on, as a rule, good-temperedly; but when
done by professionals for reward, awkward tricks are employed,
such as suddenly thrusting the fingers into the eye of the adversary,
and others still more dangerous.
As a preventive against these, the wrestler always wears knee
breeches of stiff horsehide, some of which are beautifully
embroidered with blue thread; all above the waist and below the
knee being bare. A good deal of time is, as a rule, lost in taking hold
and clappings of hands, and then generally the bout commences
with one hand grasping the adversary’s, while the other clutches the
body. The object is not a clean throw, but to make the knees of the
opponent touch the ground, and consequently agility tells more than
strength and size. The pairs are always made with regard to skill,
size and weight being little considered.
The gymnasia are merely darkened rooms (for coolness), with a
sunken ring in the centre, where the wrestling takes place. The floor
is nearly always of earth only, to render falls less severe.
A Persian has no idea of the use of his fists. When a street-fight
takes place, the combatants claw and slap at each other, and end by
clutching each other’s “zūlf” (long love-locks, which most wear), or
beards, or clothing. Then comes a sort of wrestle, when they are
generally separated.
Every great personage retains among his favoured servants a few
pehliwans or wrestlers; and among the artisans many are wrestlers
by profession, and follow at the same time a trade.
CHAPTER IX.
KERMANSHAH.

Leave for Kermanshah, marching—Detail of arrangements—Horse feeding—


Peculiar way of bedding horses—Barley—Grape feeding—On grass—
Nawalla—Colt, Anecdote of—Horses, Various breeds of—Turkomans—
Karabagh—Ispahan cobs—Gulf Arabs—Arabs—Rise in price of horses—
Road cooking—Kangawar temple—Double snipe—Tents—Kara-Su River—
Susmanis—Sana—Besitūn—Sir H. Rawlinson—Agha Hassan—Istikhbal—
Kermanshah—As we turn in another turns out—Armenians—Their reasons for
apostatising—Presents of sweetmeats.

On Pierson’s return to Hamadan, I gladly prepared to start with


him for Kermanshah. My traps were not numerous—a folding-table,
four chairs, a tressel bedstead, and two bullock-trunks, formed one
load; and my bedding in a case, made of carpet, bound with leather,
and surmounted by my head-man, another; my groom was perched
on a third, sitting on the clothing of the two horses, and carrying their
head and heel ropes and the stable spade, with which their bed of
“pane” (dried horse-dung) is prepared at night, and the copper
bucket for watering them.
The cook, with all his batterie de cuisine, had the fourth, and
Ramazan and the contents of the dispensary took two more. I think
another was charged with bottled beer, and of course we each rode
our horses. The stages were:—

Farsakhs.
Assadabad or Seydabad 7
Kangawar 5
Sana 6
Besitūn 4
Kermanshah 6
Or miles, 112; farsakhs, 28.
An hour’s riding took us clear of the vineyards of Hamadan, and
we passed over grassy downs with patches of desert till we got to
the commencement of the Seydabad Pass. This, though it would be
looked on as a tremendous matter in England, is nothing difficult to
get over when there is no snow, and an hour’s smart climb brought
us to the top.
The descent on the other side was much longer, and we made the
seven farsakhs, about twenty-eight miles, in nine hours’ continuous
marching. The road was very bad, being full of loose stones the
whole of the way from the commencement of the ascent. We put up
at the “chupper-khana;” as this was my first experience of marching,
I may as well detail our arrangements.
As soon as we had cleared the top of the pass, the servants
pushed on with those loads that it was needful to unpack, while we
came on slowly with the mules; the grooms, too, went on as smartly
as possible; my fellow had my other horse led in a halter. As it got to
nearly sunset (we had started very late, as is always the case in a
first stage), we cantered gently in to the post-house.
Our grooms were at the door ready to take our horses, and we
found the dirty little mud room swept, carpeted, a fire lighted, and the
entrance curtained with a tent door; the chairs and table had been
put out, and the kalians got under weigh. Our servants had tea
ready, and we were quite prepared to rest and be thankful. Our
books and pipes had been put handy in our bedding, and were laid
out for us.
Half-an-hour after sunset the groom came to say he was going to
feed the horses. We go into the yard, into which our room opens,
and find Pierson’s stud of Gods on one side, my two on the other,
each tethered by double head-ropes to a mud manger, which is
constructed in the wall, and secured by heel-ropes of goats’ hair tied
to pins of iron a foot long, firmly driven into the ground.
The horses had been carefully dry-rubbed and clothed, the
nammads, or felt coverings, drawn over their necks, for it was chilly,
and the beds of “pane” laid for them.
The Persians use no straw for making beds for their horses, as it
is too valuable; but they utilise the dung, which is carefully dried in
the sun and then stored, as bedding; this is very dry, clean, and soft,
and quite without smell. When thus dried, it is called “pane.” It is laid
a foot deep all round the standing of the horse, and the edges
carefully smoothed (as a gardener in England smooths his flower-
beds) by the grooms.
The horses, well aware that it is feeding-time, and having been
watered some ten minutes before (they had been walked about for
half-an-hour to cool them on arrival—a thing a Persian never omits),
now commenced neighing, playfully biting and letting out at each
other as far as their heel-ropes would permit. Pierson’s head-groom
measured out in handfuls the allowance of barley for each beast,
and it was poured into a nosebag filled with “kah,” or chaff, and then
affixed to the animal’s head, that not a grain might be lost. When we
had seen this done, and noticed that each horse fed well, we left, our
place being taken by the head-servant, who stayed till the barley was
eaten; for in those days we could not trust our grooms, who would
always steal the barley if they could.
Oats are not used in Persia, though there are many salt-marshes
in the country where they would grow well. Barley is the only food for
horses, the allowance being from seven to ten pounds of barley for
the animal’s two feeds; generally seven pounds are not exceeded. (It
must be remembered that the general run of animals is much smaller
than that of English horses, fourteen hands being the usual height,
and fifteen being an unusually large beast.) This allowance is divided
into two feeds, five pounds at night and two in the morning. This,
with as much as he chooses to consume of wheat or barley straw,
broken in pieces two inches long (“kah”), is all the animal has from
one end of the year to the other; no hay is given, but for a month the
horse is put on an entire diet of young green barley-grass, of which
he will eat two hundred and fifty pounds a day. Prior to being put on
this diet, which is termed full grass, he has a larger and larger
proportion administered with his chaff; this mixture is called “teleet.”
The barley-grass is cut by the grooms, by tearing handfuls of it
against a curved toothed sickle fixed upright in a piece of wood, and
is given from two to four inches long. As the horse is given “teleet,”
his grain is diminished, and, when he is on full grass, stopped
altogether; as he gets more and more grass, his teeth get blunt, and
do not break the grain, and on leaving off grass his barley has to be
soaked.
A horse on grass cannot do any serious work, and the gentlest
canter will put him in a lather. Of course it is very difficult to march a
horse when on grass, and in Persia it can only be had in the spring;
and unless he is going from a country where the season is early to
one where it is late, the animal has to do without grass altogether, or
even to march on “teleet”—a very dangerous thing, as he will often
break down. The Persians are very fond of seeing their horses fat,
particularly the townsmen, so that these latter will keep their beasts
on entire grass for two months, and on “teleet” seven months in the
year, giving clover, too, mixed with the “kah,” when they can get it.
The result is an animal bursting with fat, very irritable and restive, but
who can do no work.
To old horses “nawallah,” or balls of dough made of barley flour
and water, are given; the animals take to this, which is the usual
camel food, and will look fat and work well when they have not a
tooth in their heads.
During the only grape season that I was in Hamadan, the fruit was
so cheap that we put our horses on a diet of it for a week. Hasseens,
or earthen pans of tile, were affixed to the wall in the mangers, and
the horses grew extremely fat on a diet of grapes alone.
Persian horses, like Persian women, age early; possibly they are
ridden too young; the two-year-old is often put to hard work, and an
animal of nine is an old horse.
The young colt of two is termed a no zin, or newly fit for the
saddle. On one occasion I had removed a tooth for the Zil-es-sultan,
the Governor of Ispahan (the king’s eldest son). As it came out at
once he was much pleased, and gave me an order on his master of
horse for an “asp-i-no zin,” “a horse just ready for the saddle,”
meaning a two-year-old.
I sent over the order, and to my disgust got back an eight-months-
old colt. This, of course, was of comparatively little value. I did not
like to complain, for “one must not look a gift-horse in the mouth,”
and the master of horse was an acquaintance, and the prince’s
maternal uncle.
I had recourse to stratagem, being put on my mettle by ironical
questions from my Persian friends, as to whether I had ridden my
horse, etc.
The prince was about to review the troops, and I sent a polite
message to the master of the horse, asking the loan of a Persian
saddle, for, said I, “I want to ride out on my new horse, and to thank
the prince for his present.” This brought the master of the horse
(“mir-achor,” or “lord of the manger”) to my house to call on his dear
friend the English doctor. Pipes were smoked, tea drunk, and then I
was asked why I wanted a Persian saddle.
“You see, the prince’s present has been probably only used to a
Persian saddle, having been just broken in, and I have none.”
“But, dear doctor sahib, he is not fit to ride, he is eight months old.”
“Oh, my friend, you, as the mir-achor, are far too good a servant of
his Royal Highness to give me other than his order said, a horse fit
for the saddle—the order said so, so he must be fit for the saddle. I
ride him out to the review to-morrow, and shall thank the prince.”
The mir-achor sighed, and with a half-wink said, “I see you don’t
like the colt, I shall send you another; in fact, some to choose from.”
“Many, many thanks, let them be good, or I shall surely ride out on
the one I have; and in case I don’t take any of those you send, don’t
forget the saddle.”
The mir-achor left, and in an hour sent me over three full-grown
but worthless brutes to choose from.
I sent them back, telling his servants that I would send for the
saddle their master would lend me.
The grooms returned with a full-grown horse of considerable
value, which I took, and returned the worthless eight-months-old colt.
I was duly felicitated on my action by my Persian friends, and was
told that I had behaved in a very diplomatic way.
The horses most in use in Persia are, in the north, the Turkoman,
rarely seen south of Teheran, and despised in Fars—a tall, ungainly
animal, sometimes over sixteen hands, with no barrel, heavy head,
but great stride and endurance.
These Turkomans, when one is on them, give the idea of riding on
a gate, there is so little between the knees. They will get over, at a
jog or loose canter, one hundred miles a day, and will keep it up for
ten days. Their gallop is apparently slow, but, from the length of
stride, they get over a great deal of ground.
They are, however, not sure-footed, and quite useless on bad
roads and hilly country, having a tendency to fall. I have never seen
a Persian of condition ride a Turkoman horse himself, though many
great personages keep several for show, on which they mount
servants. In their own plains, and for the long expeditions for plunder
(“chuppaos”) made by the Turkomans, they are doubtless invaluable;
they are able to go without water for three days, and to subsist on
the hardest and scantiest fare, and after the severe training they
undergo previous to these expeditions, they will get over an amount
of ground that no other breed could hope to cover. Their paces are
rough and uncomfortable. They vary in price from kerans three
hundred to kerans five thousand; the usual price is four hundred to
six hundred for a good one. The mane is in some cases almost
wanting, and what there is is generally removed by a knife, and the
stubble burnt off by a hot iron, or by means of gunpowder or
depilatory. This gives the breed an unearthly and incomplete
appearance. The tail, too, is very slenderly provided with hair.
The “Karabagh”—also used in the north and towards the Caspian;
he is seldom seen south of Teheran—is a miniature edition of the
English hunter: big-boned and clean-limbed, he stands fourteen and
a half to sixteen hands; the latter is, however, an unusual size; he is
generally evil-tempered, but is up to hard work, and always has a
black mark running from the mane to the insertion of the tail; his
mane is thick, so is his tail; his head is heavy. Many big horses are
produced in Teheran from the mixture of the Turkoman and
Karabagh, but they are leggy, and retain the tendency of the
Turkoman to fall on stony ground. They are called “Yamūt;” the price
is two hundred and fifty to five hundred kerans. There is an
underbred look about both species.
Ispahan produces a peculiar kind of cob, with great weight-bearing
powers, short-legged, big barrelled, never exceeding fourteen hands,
often less. These animals are taught to amble, and are capable of
carrying heavy men or heavier loads. The neck is generally very
short and thick. Often very full of go, they are seldom fast, but have
much bottom, are very hardy, and stand exposure and hard work.
They have a clumsy appearance, enormous manes and tails, and
often a good deal of long hair under the jaw; all have huge ears and
coarse coats; the colour is generally grey; their appetites are
enormous, and they eat more than larger horses. Price, from one
hundred and twenty to four hundred kerans. This, I am convinced, is
the natural horse of Persia.
The horses of Shiraz, or “Gulf Arabs” as they are called in India,
because they are shipped from the Persian Gulf for the Indian
market, are the result of cross-breeding from big Persian mares by
the smaller and better-bred Arab horse. They are practically the best
horses in the country, quite free from vice, fast, and with most of the
good points of the Arab, particularly the small head. In the good ones
the forehead (brow) is always very convex, never flat. The ears are
small and carried well. The tail is carried, as the Persians put it, like
a flag, the tail-bone very short and straight. Among the natives, if the
tail is carried at all on one side, and not well up, it considerably
detracts from the animal’s value. They frequently dock the tail-bone,
but the hair is never shortened. Grey is the usual colour; though
there are many chestnuts and bays, I never saw a black. The barrel
and chest are very large, and the body short and compact; they have
magnificent shoulders, and are full of bottom. The better ones are
not at all goose-rumped, which all other breeds in Persia, except
Arabs, are, while the hoofs are large and healthy. These horses are
always full of spirit, and willing, their faults being that they are a little
delicate, and dainty feeders; they are very sure-footed, going at full
speed over the roughest ground or loose stones. They all pull, and,
from the severe nature of the Persian bit, are hard-mouthed, till they
have been ridden on the snaffle for some months. Many have a
tendency to shy, but no other vices; they stand fourteen and a half to
fifteen hands, and cost from five hundred to two thousand kerans.
The real Arabs, which come from Baghdad and the frontier, in the
Kermanshah Province, are too well known to need description, and
are all that the heart could desire, save as to size. They stand
thirteen three to fourteen two, seldom more, and cost from five
hundred kerans up to anything.
In the last fifteen years the price of horses has gone up from fifty
to eighty per cent.; this is due to the steady drain for the Indian
market, and also to the famine, when thousands were starved to
death and thousands more killed and eaten, and to opium-growing in
lieu of corn.
When I first came to Persia a fair yabū, or pony, could be got for
one hundred and twenty kerans; they cost now (1883) two hundred
to two hundred and forty. Horses in proportion. But the Gulf Arabs
are very cheap in Teheran, which is by far the best place to buy
horses in.
To return. We have smoked and chatted till eight o’clock, when our
dinner is put on the table—soup, tinned fish, a leg of mutton,
potatoes, a custard-pudding; these have been properly cooked, and
are served hot.
Save the eggs and the milk for the custard, we brought all these
good things from Hamadan, and the cook deserves great credit, for
his kitchen has been merely a corner of the post-house yard, his
range three or four bricks, and he has roasted his leg of mutton in a
saucepan, and sent it to table with delicious gravy; and thus we fare
daily while on the road. Some men, even when marching, insist on a
hot breakfast on the road itself, of three or four courses, but this is
only needful when there are ladies. Dinner over, kalians and coffee
are brought. Our beds are made one on each side of the fireplace,
but not on the ground, for we have tressel bedsteads, and ten sees
us fast asleep.
A fertile plain brings us, next morning’s stage, to Kangawar, a
large and prosperous village. Here the climate grows warmer. It is a
very well-watered district, and the people seem well-to-do. In fact, in
Persia, wherever there is water there is prosperity.
There is the ruin here of a temple said to have been erected to
Diana; nothing seems to be known about it, and it is only memory
that tells me that some authority gives it as a temple to Diana.
However, the four stone columns, minus their capitals, are still
standing; they are united by a mud wall, and form part of a villager’s
house.
In the swamp in front of the village we go out for snipe; Pierson
gets three brace and one double snipe. I manage to get a teal, which
I pot from behind some reeds, the snipe being as yet too much for
me. I also shoot several snippets, but am disappointed when Pierson
tells me to throw them away. I have one cooked in defiance—it is
uneatable.
We stop two days in Kangawar, and live in a tent. This is a very
comfortable one, with double walls, the property of Government,
made, so a label on it says, at the school at Jubbulpoor. It is
constructed, so another label tells me, for two subalterns. It has a
passage a yard wide between the walls, which keeps it cool in
summer. We find it chilly at night, and as we have no stove we are
unable to light a fire. The second day Pierson gets several double
snipe, and I get very wet.
On our next march we come upon the Kara-Su (black water) River,
and see a valley teeming with bird-life—herons, ducks, geese, what
appear to be black swans, cormorants, cranes of various colours,
from the big white “leg-leg” with black wings, to small and graceful
ones of pure white; mallards, teal, and widgeon. They unfortunately
are on the other side of the river, which is unfordable here, in a
swamp which extends for miles.
As we near Sana we see a man and woman seated on a mound
commanding the road, under a big green cotton umbrella, near a
grove. The woman, gaily dressed, with her face painted and without
any veil, her hair in long tails, strung with coins, importunately

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